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Gloriana-class Battleship
, flagship of the Iron Warriors Legion; a Cobra-class Destroyer is adjacent for size comparison]] The 'Gloriana-class Battleship''' was a massive class of Imperial Battleship constructed during the height of the Great Crusade and were operational from the late 30th Millennium into the early 31st Millennium during the Horus Heresy. Each of these mighty vessels was highly individualistic and unique from one another in both form and armament. During the Great Crusade each individual Space Marine Legion acquired at least one such vessel which inevitably became the Legion's flagship, utilised by their respective Primarchs. This role was due to these warships' incredible array of firepower, which allowed them to single-handedly batter entire fleets or recalcitrant planets into submission. These warships were far larger than any other known class of Imperial vessel, with the two exceptions of the mobile star-fortress known as the Phalanx used by the Imperial Fists Legion and the ''Abyss''-class Battleships unleashed by the Word Bearers Traitor Legion during the Heresy. As expected of such monumental warships, the armour of the Gloriana-class was incredibly thick and protected by overlapping Void Shields which allowed them to absorb stupendous amounts of damage. During the Great Crusade, these warships helped the Legiones Astartes swiftly conquer and bring newly-discovered worlds into Imperial Compliance, which helped to establish the nascent Imperium of Man and its domination of the known galaxy. These vessels were effective at sundering numerous xenos fleets and were put to similar use during the Horus Heresy. During this conflict several of these ships were destroyed and due to the ailing state of the Imperium following the galaxy-wide rebellion, which cost the galaxy dearly in both blood and treasure, they were unable to continue producing such mighty and advanced vessels. Notable Gloriana-class Battleships *''Invincible Reason'' (Dark Angels Legion) *''Swordstorm'' (White Scars Legion) *''Hrafnkel'' (Space Wolves Legion) *''Red Tear'' (Blood Angels Legion) *''Fist of Iron'' (Iron Hands Legion) *''Macragge's Honour'' (Ultramarines Legion) *''Flamewrought'' (Salamanders Legion) *''Shadow of the Emperor'' (Raven Guard Legion) *''Pride of the Emperor'' (Emperor's Children Legion) *''Iron Blood'' (Iron Warriors Legion) *''Nightfall'' (Night Lords Legion) *''Conqueror'' (World Eaters Legion) *''Endurance'' (Death Guard Legion) *''Photep'' (Thousand Sons Legion) *''Vengeful Spirit'' (Sons of Horus Legion) *''Fidelitas Lex'' (Word Bearers Legion) *''Alpha'' (Alpha Legion) Sources *''Battlefleet Gothic 2010 Compendium'', pp. 111-114 *''Horus Heresy: Collected Visions'' (Artbook) *''The Horus Heresy - Book One: Betrayal'' (Imperial Armour), pg. 96 *''The Horus Heresy - Book Three: Extermination'' (Imperial Armour), pp. 52-53 *''False Gods'' (Novel) by Graham McNeill *''Galaxy In Flames'' (Novel) by Ben Counter *''Horus Rising'' (Novel) by Dan Abnett *''Fulgrim'' (Novel) by Graham McNeill, pp. 21-24, 27-28, 58, 61, 68, 94, 96, 104-105, 122-123, 141-142, 154-155, 158, 162-163, 172, 179, 300-301, 304-305, 316, 320, 335, 347, 358-366, 369, 396 *''Flight of the Eisenstein'' (Novel) by James Swallow, pp. 5-6, 13, 60, 90, 115 *''A Thousand Sons'' (Novel) by Graham McNeill *''Prospero Burns'' (Novel) by by Dan Abnett, pp. 327-330 *''Legion'' (Novel) by Dan Abnett *''The First Heretic'' (Novel) by Aaron Demski-Bowden, pp. 78, 88, 115, 120, 124, 245, 357, 360, 363 *''Deliverance Lost'' (Novel) by Gav Thorpe, pp. 22-23, 27 *''Know No Fear'' (Novel) by Dan Abnett, pp. 31, 39, 61, 88, 101, 143, 154, 208, 237, 248-249, 253-254, 267, 281, 290, 302, 304 *''Tales of Heresy'' (Anthology), "Scions of the Storm," pp. 114-115 *''Fear to Tread'' (Novel) by James Swallow *''Shadows of Treachery'' (Novel), "The Crimson Fist," by John French, pp. 25, 38, 41, 43, 45-47, 49, 54 & "Prince of Crows," by Aaron Dembski-Bowden, pp. 134-135, 141, 144-145, 149, 153, 169-174, 176-178, 180, 181, 186 *''Betrayer'' (Novel) by Aaron Dembski-Bowden, pp. 10-11, 16, 22, 113, 122-123, 139-140, 155, 167, 189-191, 194, 199, 216, 235, 245, 254 *''Angel Exterminatus'' (Novel) by Graham McNeill, pp. 31, 34, 78, 81, 119-121, 134, 139, 141-142, 145-146, 169, 173-174, 176, 179, 193, 195-197, 202, 284 *''Vengeful Spirit'' (Novel) by Graham McNeill *''Macragge's Honour'' (Graphic Novel) by Dan Abnett *''Soul Hunter'' (Novel) by Aaron Dembski-Bowden *''Butcher's Nails'' (Audio Book) by Aaron Dembski-Bowden Category:G Category:Battleships Category:Chaos Category:Chaos Spacecraft Category:Chaos Space Marines Category:Imperial History Category:Imperial Spacecraft Category:Imperium Category:Spacecraft Category:Space Marines